The Empire (finally) strikes back

New York 3, Sox 1

WP: Igawa (2-1)
LP: Wakefield (2-3)
SV: Rivera (1)
HRs: NYY-Posada (2)

Geez, these guys act like they just won the World Series for cryin' out loud (which they haven't done since 2000)

SUMMARY:
It was a pretty straightforward game in the Bronx today, for a change.

Both Tim Wakefield and Kei Igawa (who replaced an injured Jeff Karstens) pitched excellent ballgames, the only real damage being a Georgie Posada 2-run shot off Wake in the 4th; although both teams added a run later, that was the deciding blow in this strangely uneventful game.

HEROES:

1. Igawa: 6IP, 2H, 4BB, 6K- pressed into action when starter Karstens went out after just 6 pitches, the other Japanese pitcher to garner attention in the off season finally came through for New York. His performance not only saved the day, it might have saved their season


2. Posada: 1-2, 2R, 2RBI, 2BB- other than Jeter, who had 3 hits, Georgie had the best day on offense for New York. His homer was a momentum-swinger, and he also scored the 3rd NY run after drawing a leadoff walk in the 6th


3. Rivera: 1IP, 1H, 1st SV- one day after an obituary was being written for his career (by your truly at least) the grizzled vet came in and got the job done for his team. He even sawed off a couple of bats for old times sake, but Tek still singled with his busted stick
   

GOATS:

1. J.D. Drew: 0-4, 2Ks, 5LOB- it's taken nearly a month but the new RF is officially in a slump, and his performance today was downright depressing


2. Big Papi: 0-3, BB, 3LOB, 2GIDP- ditto for Papi regarding the slump as the big man grounded into two rally-killing DPs and fouled out to first before walking in his last AB


3. A-Rod: 0-4, 2Ks, E, 8LOB- all I can say is it's a good thing for him that NY won or the Bronx boo birds would have been back on his case quicker than you can say "fairweather fans"

KEY MOMENT: Top 8th, 2on, 0 out
With Youk (single) and Papi (walk) aboard, Boston had a legitimate chance to pull another come-from-behind rabbit out of its hat.

But then Manny struck out looking, Drew dribbled into a fielder's choice, and after Lowell got an RBI single to break the shutout, Coco struck out looking and a golden comeback opportunity went by the wayside.

RECAP:
Before anyone heads down to the Kazim or the Skyway, let's put today's loss to the Stanks into proper perspective:

• Boston still enjoys a 4-game lead in the AL East


• New York is still in last place in the East, 5 1/2 out & percentage pts behind the Rays


• this had to be one of the most painless New York losses in recent memory

I mean seriously, as far as Sox/Stankees games go this one was as mild as it gets: there were no stomach-turning theatrics, no last-second heart stoppers, no brawls, no records, and no monumental shifting of the seismic plate in the American League.

Nope it was just a plain old run-of-the-mill loss, one in which two pitchers gave it their all, one guy hit a big home run, and the team that was really desperate for a win came up with one when it needed it most.

Oh yeah, and a guy broke his leg. But other than that, nothing.

The fact that the most interesting play of the game may have come on the first pitch says a lot about the "quality" of the "action" today. Before the very-Dodger-like late-arriving crowd was even situated in their seats Julio Lugo lead off the game with a wicked liner directly off Karsten's right leg below the knee.

The ball ricocheted off his leg, and the rookie righty writhed on the turf in pain as Lugo scooted down to first, while everyone else awaited the result of the ugly hit to Karstens. At first he appeared to shake it off, and after testing it he gamely attempted to keep going. But after five more pitches the Stankees' staff had seen enough and pulled him from the game before further damage was done.

Good thing, too. Turns out the kid has a broken leg, and although according to the team doctor he won't need surgery and will return sometime this season, you have to think he will miss a minimum of 6-8 weeks. Either way the untimely, freak injury is yet another blow to the battle-fatigued New York starting staff.

But as I like to say, one man's pain is another man's gain, and embattled Japanese (former) starter Kei Igawa took his chance to show his bosses something and ran with it. The lesser known of the two Japanese starters who got "posted" last winter (the other obviously being Dice-K for any bubble boys out there), Igawa came to the Bronx with a high price tag ($46 mil) but lower expectations than his fellow countryman.

Unfortunately Kei had failed to meet even the minimum requirements. Because in any country, 24 hits in 20.2 innings, 18 earned runs allowed, 9 walks, 5 homers and a 12.60 ERA in 4 starts isn't worth $46 million. Yet that's what the 27-year-old lefty had given the Stanks this season, and for his efforts he was banished to the pen.

But like a Japanese Phoenix rising from the Pacific, Igawa came on in relief of his injured teammate and put the entire Big Apple on his back. He immediately got out of trouble in the 1st when he got Papi to GIDP after Youk had followed Lugo's hit with a single, then struck out Drew with 2 on to end the inning, and you could almost see New York's fortunes start to change.

Igawa and Wakefield (5.1IP, 5H, 3ER, 6BB, 3K) were dancing in and out of mini-jams all day, but it was a quick strike in the bottom of the 4th that changed the tide for the 7-consecutive loss Stanks. After Hideki Matsui walked with one out, Posada delivered on a knuckler inside and deposited it into the upper deck in right for a monkey-lifting 2-0 lead.

Not that New York could feel safe with a measly 2-run lead. Not after it had blown leads in each of the last four losses to Boston, including the memorable 6-2 edge that disintegrated during a 5-run 8th and resulted in a 7-6 win for the Sox last Friday. But for some reason today felt different.

Maybe it was the idea that if you kick a dog so many times when its down, eventually it will jump up and bite you. And the Stanks had been playing the part of an unwanted Setter for over a week now.

That's why when Rivera strode out from the pen, his familiar anthem "Enter Sandman" blaring from the loudspeakers, towing his unholy 12.15 ERA behind him, you just knew this time he was going to get the job done.

New York needed this one too much.

Fortunately for Sox fans, we didn't.

NOTES:

-As I mentioned above, Drew and Papi are in full-blown slumps now: J.D. is batting .129 (4-31) with 1 RBI in his last 8 games as his average has dropped from .346 to .278; and while Ortiz is getting base hits, he hasn't homered and has only 4 RBI in his last 7 contests and doesn't appear to be seeing the ball very well (a lot of check swings)

-Manny also continues to scrape the bottom of the barrel; another hitless day (0-2, 2BB, 2K) dropped his average to .188, and speaking of not seeing the ball well, his frozen caveman impersonation on that strikeout by Farnsworth in the 8th was horrendous

-Youk and Lowell both grabbed 2 hits, but Lowell made two more errors, giving him 8 for the season-yikes.

-Coco was ejected for arguing about the call on his strikeout to end the 8th. In his defense, the ball was outside. Against him- no need to slam the hat & bat. Maybe the new cornrows were too tight

-Speaking of frozen caveman, a gimpy Judas Demon took the DH spot today and went 1-4 with a walk. He's now batting .242

-New York left 25 men on base; Boston's count was low for a change-9

-Jeter's hitting streak reached 16 games, and Lowell now has a 14 gamer

QUOTES:

-"This is a huge win for us. We needed a close game to win. We needed a number of people to do a job, and they did."-Torre, nicely summing up the importance of the victory

-"We've had a lot of stuff happen. You couldn't print what was going through my head, or what was coming out of my mouth."-GM Brian Cashman on the Karsten's injury

-"He was all right. Nothing special. He was throwing a lot of hittable pitches, but we were just not hitting it."-Ortiz on Igawa. Way to give credit where credit is due, Papi

-"I would have been frustrated, too. Did you see the pitch? Tough, tough."-Tito on the pitch that got Coco ejected

RECORD: 15-8

AL EAST: Up 4 on TOR/BAL

UP NEXT: Sun @ NYY 1P

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Game Preview: Sox @ Stanks

GM 2 3:55PM FOX HD
Wakefield (2-2, 2.08) vs. Karstens (0-1, 14.54)

I just got back from my son's Little League game. The good news is his team won, 10-9, thanks to a four run 9th inning, and he picked up the win by striking out the side in the top half of the inning.

The bad news is his team is the Yankees, and the team we beat was the Red Sox.

Let's hope that spectacular win wasn't a bad omen for this game.

But the way the Sox own the Stanks (the real teams) right now, I don't think a parade of black cats, 1000 broken mirrors and walking under a 400-ft ladder could derail what is quickly turning into an embarrassing (for NY) ownership of one team over the other.

Much like last season's 5-game Boston Massacre II sweep of the Sox in August deflated Boston's dreams of contending for a playoff spot, with a victory today the Sox could have a similarly demoralizing 5-game sweep of the Stanks.

Sure it's early, but when you beat another team into the ground enough times, it starts to get into their heads no matter what time of the year it is.

Tim Wakefield will take the mound today, and although he had a shaky outing last time out (8H, 3ER in a 7-3 loss to TOR), he still has been one of Boston's most consistent starters, posting a 2.08 ERA and not allowing any drop off after the Big Three (Schill-Beckett-Matsuzaka).

New York will try to stop the 7-game blood loss by sending Jeff Karstens back to the mound. Last time out the Sox roughed him up to the tune of 9 hits and 7 ERs in just 4.1 innings of work in a 7-5 Boston win last Saturday.

But whomever New York sends out there has been treated like a pinata by the Boston batters, and it will take a monumental effort by Karstens & the horrid NY bully to stop the avalanche of Red sweeping over the Bronx boys right now.


Go Sox!
Sweep II

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And the beat goes on; Sox crush Stanks again

Sox 11, New York 4

WP: Dice-K (3-2)
LP: Pettitte (1-1)
HRs: BOS-Lugo (1), Youk (2)

R.O.I.? The Sox are paying Lugo $8 mil a year to have games like he did tonight

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox continued its 2007 Feast o' Stankee Pitching with another bludgeoning of the New York staff, this time in the Bronx.

Daisuke Matsuzaka survived a rough 4th inning to register the win, Julio Lugo and Kevin Youkilis homered to power a 13-hit attack and the Sox pushed New York's losing streak to seven games with this laffer over the Bronx Bummers.

HEROES:

1. Julio Lugo: 3-4, 3R, 3RBI, 2BBs, 2SBs, E, DP, HR- he began the game with a groundout but tore it up after that; singled & scored on Youk's homer in the 3rd; homered in the 6th to give Boston breathing room at 6-4; doubled in the 8th to make it even more comfy at 7-4; and his bases loaded walk in the 9th made it a laugher, 9-4
2. Dice-K: 6IP, 5H, 4ER, 4BB, 7K- he was dominant at times (7 strikouts) and dubious (3 straight walks in the 4th) others, yet he stayed focused despite that one rough patch and found a way to win in his Yankee Stadium debut
3. Boston batters: four guys had at least 2 hits (Lugo, Youk, Papi, Coco), three had at least 2 ribbies (Lugo, Youk, Papi), five knocked in at least 1 run and seven Sox scored runs

GOATS:

1. Stankee pitchers: six hurlers, 13 hits, 11 earned runs, 25-minute innings, 4+hour games and 197 pitches: these are your 2007 New York Stankees ladies & gentlemen
2. Bobby Abreu: 0-5, 2Ks, GIDP, 7 LOB- the career .300 hitter is now batting .262 and is in the midst of a horrendous 2-26 slide with 11 Ks during the 7-game losing streak
3. Robinson Cano: with his 0-4, 3-strikeout, 5 men left on base performance the man named after Jackie more resembled another Robinson- Crusoe, as in lost.

RECAP:
Another Sox/Stankees game, another Boston come-from-behind blowout win. So far that has been the pattern in 2007 as Boston has won all four meetings by an average score of 8-5 while outhitting New York 50-36.

The main difference, as it has been all year for both teams, was the pitching. Boston's starter, Dice-K, was making his big league debut in the hallowed stadium, yet he pitched like a seasoned veteran of the big stage. He had one bad inning- the 4th- when he walked 3 batters in a row and gave up 3 bloop hits which led to all four of New York's runs, but he overcame that troubling frame to right the ship and keep his team in the game.

His New York counterpart however, Andy Pettitte, who became a World Series hero in this very stadium, couldn't duplicate Matsuzaka's poise under pressure. Staked to a 4-2 lead after his team's 4th inning uprising, the lefty immediately gave it back in a wild inning-the 5th- of his own.

Lugo got it started with a 1-out walk, stole second, then Youk singled him to third. Ortiz followed with yet another opposite-field single that scored Lugo, and after Manny walked to load the bases and J.D. Drew struck out, Pettitte walked Mike Lowell to force in the tying run. Papi would then "scamper" in and score the go-ahead run on a Pettitte wild pitch (should've been a passed ball on Georgie), and before anyone even knew what happened Boston was well on its way to yet another come-from-behind win over the devastated Stanks.

But not before they rubbed some salt on the wounds, just for good measure. Lugo's homer & double made it 7-4 after 8, but things went from bad to worse in the 9th as New York was just trying to close it out and get the hell outta there. Joe Torre brought in seldom-seen but often-hit Mariano Rivera for some much-needed work (after all, the club doesn't have a save yet this season and has had very few opportunities to get one), but his outing ended up being a sad sight for the legion of Stankee fans worldwide.

The former dominating closer looked like a shell of his former self. He allowed 3 hits, a walk and 4 earned runs in 1/3 of an inning, and when Torre pulled him in favor of Mike Myers you could almost sense the end of an era was happening right before your eyes.

I tell ya if I didn't hate this friggin' team with every fabric of my being I might have almost felt sorry for the guy.

The way the Stanks are playing right now, sorry is the only word that comes to mind though.

NOTES:

-Drew (0-5) was the only starter not to record a hit; he is now in a 7-31 skid that has dropped his average from .375 to .293 (guess I missed him in my 'who's not hot' preview)

-Mike Lowell's 9th inning single extended his hitting streak to 13 games

-Cap'n Tek did get a hit, a walk and scored a run, but he struck out 2 more times; that makes 9 Ks in his last 14 ABs

-Jeter extended his hit streak to 15 games, although it was delayed when he had the day off Thursday to recover from various bruises

-A-Rod had a very quiet night: 0-3 with a walk and a run and a strikeout

-Ball Stealer had a rough night as well; he fell into the camera well chasing a fly ball and went 0-4 with 2 Ks, both looking. Plus he had the nerve to dispute both calls- idiot, you're batting .142, sit down and shut up

-Boston left a ton of men on base again (18), but the Stanks topped that with 22 ducks left on the pond

-the losing streak is New York's longest since 2000. The team record is an unlucky 13 games in a row back in, appropriately enough, 1913

QUOTES:

-"We're just not a good baseball team right now." -Jason Giambi, a.k.a. Captain Obvious

-"It's as frustrating as you can get. It's embarrassing is what it is."-Pettitte, ditto

-"If I got into all the things that happened in the fourth inning, it would be a very long story. So to keep a long story short, I think there are technically a few things I need to work on."-Dice-K summing up his performance

-"It's good for us to beat them."- Lugo, fully comprehending the scope of the rivalry

RECORD: 15-7

AL EAST: Up 4 gms on TOR, 6 1/2 on NY

UP NEXT: SAT @ NYY 3:30 on FOX HD

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Series preview: BOS @ NY

Red Sox (14-7) at Stankees (8-12)

Yes, it's that time again folks. Time for another hardball headbashing known as a Sox/Stankees series.

It seems like it was just last weekend that Boston was pummelling New York pitching into submission en route to 3 straight come-from-behind victories that resulted in a 3-game smackdown that sent their archenemies into a 6-game tailspin. Something about 4 consecutive home runs, too...

Oh that's right, it was just last weekend. And thanks to the schedule makers (the same morons who gave the Sox no trips to St. Pete until late July), Boston gets to catch their nasty neighbors at the lowest point they have been in in a long time.

Since that Sox sweep New York also lost 2 games at Tampa Bay, and yesterday lost the only game of a rain-shortened mini series with the Jays, 6-0 in the Bronx. In that game highly-touted pitching prospect Phillip Hughes made his big league debut, months earlier than the New York management wanted him to, but due to the flatlining status of their pitching they really had no choice.

The New York offense, ranked first in the league in runs and average, has been spectacular, but it's the horrendous mound efforts that are sinking the Stankees' season.

Meanwhile the Sox are heading in the opposite direction for the exact opposite reason. While the Sox offense has been spotty, the starting pitching has been consistently above average. In fact the three New York games last weekend were the worst performances by Sox starters all year.

Thanks to the terrific pitching the Sox have won 7 of 9 and now own a 3-game lead in the East over second-place Toronto; New York currently resides in the basement, tied with the Rays in games back (51/2) but with a lower winning percentage (.400-.409)

As I like to say, oh how the mighty have fallen.

And I hope they never get up.

Let's take a look inside the series as Boston and New York take their show to the Big Apple with revenge on the Stanks minds and the Sox salivating for another sweep.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
GM 1, FRI 7PM
Dice-K (2-2, 4.00) vs. Pettitte (1-0, 1.78)

GM 2, SAT 3:55 FOX
Wakefield (2-2, 2,08) vs. Igawa (1-1, 7.84)

GM 3 SUN, 1:05
Tavarez (0-2, 8.36) vs. Wang (0-1, 5.68)

NEW YORK STATS:

Batting:

• 1st in ML in runs (120)
• 4th in ML in avg. (.275)
• 1st in ML in RBI (116)
• 2nd in ML in HRs (27)

Pitching:

• 11th in AL in ERA (4.83)
• last in AL in qual. starts (5)
• t-2nd to last in AL in wins (8)
• 4th in ER allowed (96)
• 3rd in AL in walks allowed (81)

Who's hot?

• A Rod- despite going homerless in 3 out of the last 4 games, Mr. April did add another 2-homer game down here in St. Pete to bring his tally to 14 for the month; he is leading the majors in home runs by 6, RBIs by 10, and slugging percentage by nearly .200 points (.976-.782) over Bonds- sick. He is 2 homers away for the record for April, held...ah, fuck it who cares if he hits 85 home runs, as long as New York loses
• Giambi-the Juicer has been on a tear for the last two weeks: he is batting .396 (19-48) with 4 doubles 3 homers, and 10 RBI in the last 12 games
• Jeter- before getting plunked on the wrist by Scott Kazmir down here on Tuesday night the Captain was riding a 13-game hitting streak, scoring 14 runs and compiling 20 hits to raise his average from .278 to a more Jeter-like .316

Who's not?

• Judas Demon- karma is catching up to the former Captain Caveman in a big way: beginning with the Boston Sweep the banged-up bonehead is batting just .105 (2-19) with 1 run & 1 RBI
• The Ball Stealer-payback's a bitch for another former Sox as Mientkiewicz is batting just .152 on the season, with a puny 3 hits in his last 10 games, 7 hits total and 1 RBI for the year- nice pickup, Stanks!
• Bobby Abreu- the career .300 hitter is batting only .278 and is in the midst of a 2-17 (.118) skid that began, not coincidentally I might add, with the Boston Sweep.
• the entire pitching staff- you saw the numbers above, but let me add that only 1 starter (Pettitte) has an ERA under 3.50, the staff's walk & hits/innings pitched (WHIP) is an abysmal 1.47, and they have zero saves on the season. Wow.

BOSTON STATS:

Batting:

• 12th in ML (6th in AL) in avg. (.259)
• 8th in ML in runs (106)
• 5th in AL in RBI (95)
• 10th in ML in HRs (22)

Pitching:

• 3rd in ML in ERA (3.21)
• 2nd in ML in qual. starts (13)
• 1st in ML in wins (14)
• 3rd-fewest ERs allowed in ML (66)
• 2nd-fewest BBs allowed in ML (54)
• 2nd in ML in saves (8)

Who's hot:

• Alex Cora & WMP- the two part-timers have been contributing big-time lately; Cora is batting .462 (6-13) over his last 6 games, and Pena, although he has struck out a ton, hit a mammoth game-winning grand slam in Baltimore last night
• Big Papi-despite leaving 5 men on base last night, the big Boston bopper has hit in 8 of the last 9 games with 5 doubles, 2 homers and 7 RBI
• Mike Lowell- the 3rd baseman has been shaky in the field but red-hot at the dish, batting .385 during a 10-game hitting streak in which he has hit 4 homers and knocked in 9 runs

Who's not:

• Cap'n Tek- he came out of a slump last weekend against New York, but in the last 3 games he's 1-10 with 7 K's and 8 men left on base
• Manny- the slugger has shown signs of emerging from his season-long slump, but a sub-.200 average and 2 homers doesn't cut it for ManRam
• 9 & 1 hitters- Lugo & Pedroia have failed to keep the offense moving. The shortstop is mired in a 3-28 slide that has dropped his average to ,234, and second sacker Pedroia has just 3 hits in his last 9 games (.125)

That's all I got for facts & figures. Now it's time to go out and kick some Stankee ass-again. Dice-K makes his Yankee Stadium debut tonight, and he will oppose the Stanks best pitcher, Pettitte, so this game could be the best of the series.

Unless Dice folds like an origami again.

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Curt reponds to "Sock-Gate" in a way only he can

"You see, Terry, here's what happened. I was eavesdropping on a conversation in the clubhouse that night..."

In a scathing assault on both Gary Thorne and the media in general (of which he himself is now a part of), Curt Schilling ripped into the faulty Orioles play-by-play man for being a liar who "misreported what he overheard...then misinterpreted what he misreported", and vilified the rest of the press for running wild with the story.

On his blog 38Pitches.com today, the media-hog (something Curt will readily admit to) righthander ripped Thorne a new one; his post regarding the issue is rather lengthy, so here are a few of the best verbal beatdowns Curt laid on the bespectacled broadcaster:

• "So Gary Thorne says that Doug (Mirabelli) told him the blood was fake. Which even when he’s called out he can’t admit he lied. Doug never told Gary Thorne anything. Gary Thorne overheard something and then misreported what he overheard. Not only did he misreport it, he misinterpreted what he misreported."


• "...even after they spoke Gary Thorne still covered his ass by lying about the conversation and twisting it in a way that absolved him from blame."

But Curt, who is obviously both incensed and amazed that this 2-year-old story is still garnering attention, was just as straightforward when detailing his feelings about the media's involvement in the escalation of this incident (notice how he still manages to skewer Thorne also):

• "Watching Woody Paige or the plastered made up face of Jay Marriotti spew absolutely nothing of merit on sports, day after day, makes it easy to understand how Gary Thorne could say something as stupid, ignorant, and uninformed as he did the other night."


• "My only real problem is not that Gary Thorne said something stupid and ignorant, which he did, but that without a word being uttered by anyone in our clubhouse this somehow became a major news story."


• "The media hacked and spewed their way to a day or two of stories that had zero basis in truth. A story fabricated by the media, for the media."

Great rips on "Woodrow" Paige and Mariotti! Look, it's time to put this thing to rest. Curt states that his blog finally "serves one of the purposes I’d hoped it would if the need arose", which was to be able to fight back against his detractors or anyone he sees as challenging the facts of any story.

Mission accomplished.

Sure Curt proceeded to jump on his moral high horse, claiming the media should have been focusing on the double-amputee Iraq war vet who threw out the first pitch Wednesday night before his start, and that many writers still hold a grudge for him crediting his faith with as the reason he was able to do what he did that memorable October, but that's neither here nor there.

The the fact of the matter is that anyone with a sane mind knows that the sock is as real as Schill' s pain, passion and perseverance was in delivering the title to Boston after 86 years of frustration, heartache and misery.

Which would exclude Stankee fans.

Let's play some friggin' ball already!

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Bring it on, bitches!

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Sox win in grand style as Pena's slam saves the day

Sox 5, Baltimore 2

WP: Beckett (5-0)

LP: Ray (2-2)

SV: Papelbon (7)

HRs: BOS-Pena (2)

Pena doesn't make contact often, but when he does the ball goes a loooong way

SUMMARY:
The game was a near carbon-copy of last night's contest- a low-scoring (2-1) pitcher's duel through seven innings until Boston got the Baltimore starter out of the game, then teed off on the Oriole bullpen.

The teeing off came courtesy of a grand slam by Willy Mo Pena in the 8th and made a winner out of Josh Beckett for the 5th time this season.

HERO: Pena 2-4, R, GS, K
He may have been striking out at an alarming rate the past week, but games like this are the reason the Sox need this guy. Boston looked dead in the water until Pena's titanic blast rescued them from defeat, allowing them to head off to New York on a positive note.

GOAT: closer Chris Ray 2/3, 2H, BB, K, GS
For the second time this season Ray allowed a game-losing grand slam; the first time was to A-Rod in the Bronx on April 7th. Ironically he hasn't allowed any other runs this season, so other than those eight runs on two swings of the bat, the guy has been lights out.

RECAP:
Nothing like a quick little trip to the Inner Harbor to cure the Sox ailments. For the second game in a row Boston turned a close game into a rout, and for the second straight game the Boston starter pitched effectively and with complete command of his pitches.

Just like Schilling the night before, Beckett (8IP, 8H, 2ER, 0BB, 3K) was doing a good job of mixing up his pitches and not relying strictly on his blazing fastball. This is something new pitching coach John Farrell has been working on with Becks, and the results are starting to show. Although the big righty's strikeouts are down-he had only 3 tonight-his ground-ball outs are up, thanks to a nasty breaker and slider to go with the heater.

Still for all his efforts Beckett was in line for an "L" as Baltimore jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after 3 innings on a Nick Markakis groundout and a Melvin Mora double (oddly, of B-More's eight hits, five were doubles.) And once again Boston's main problem was leaving men on base in key situations.

The Sox left the bases loaded in the 3rd when Orioles starter Adam Loewen (6IP, 1R, 2H, 5BB, 5K) got Papi to tap back to the mound, then left 2 men on in the 6th and in the 7th when Ortiz dribbled back to the mound again. All of these missed opportunities were quickly shaping up to spell sure defeat if not for another batch of late-inning fireworks.

Last night Boston broke open a 1-1 game with 5 runs in the last 3 innings; tonight it would just take one big swing of the bat to plate 4 runs and put the victory in the Sox' hands. The 8th started out with Manny (0-3, R, 2BB) drawing a walk on a 7-pitch at bat against Baltimore reliever John Parrish. After J.D. Drew flied out, Ray came on, ostensibly to get the final 5 outs.

Except Ray didn't read the script. Mike Lowell ignited the rally with a ground rule double, sending Manny to third, and Varitek drew an intentional walk to load 'em up for Willy Mo. Despite the fact that Pena was hitting just .120 against righties and had struck out in 11 of his last 17 at bats, he catapulted a 2-1 offering from Ray deep into the left centerfield stands for what proved to be the game-winner.

Jonathan Papelbon came on for the 9th and allowed another walk, but also registered another K and, most importantly, his 7th save in 7 opportunities.

So the Sox head to the Bronx with a modest 2-game winning streak, but going back to last week have won 7 of the last 9. And maybe now that the bloody sock controversy is behind them, they can concentrate on bloodying the Stankee pinstripes.

NOTES:

-Boston managed just six hits, four singles

-Cap'n Tek continues his regression: with another 0-3 tonight he is 1-10 with 7 K's and 8 men left on base in the past 3 games. Maybe the return of Yankee pitching will re-ignite his bat

-Former idiot Kevin Millar trotted out onto the field with a mock-bloody sock on his foot. Always the joker, that Millah

-Coco sat out again with the strained oblique, but could play tomorrow night. Although after Pena's slam, don't be surprised if Tito is extra cautious about bringing Crisp back

-One night after stranding 21 men, Boston left 19 ducks on the pond tonight. Yikes!
-Beckett is the first 5-game winner in the majors and the first Boston starter to win his first 5 starts since Pedro in 1999.

QUOTES:

-"He just put it in there. I swing," Pena said. "When I swing I knew it was gone."- Willy Mo; hey, when you can hit it that far you can afford to be a man of few words

RECORD: 14-7

AL EAST: Up 3 on TOR

UP NEXT: Fri @ New York, 7P

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Do I have to change the name of my blog now?

Orioles announcer Gary Thorne claims Curt's bloody sock is a painted fake

You had to be a big shot, didn't ya, you had to open up your mouth?

First let me say that although I did watch the telecast of last night's game between the Sox and Orioles, broadcast on Extra Innings via Baltimore's Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, I was at my son's Little league game when it started, so I caught most of it on the DVR so I could skip the slow parts.

Apparently during a break in the action in the 5th inning, sometime ESPN analyst and current MASN (what the hell is that, NESN's ugly stepsister?) broadcaster Gary Thorne made a controversial comment regarding the authenticity of the sacred bloody sock. You now, the one to the upper right that is so important to Red Sox Nation that I decided to name this blog after it.

Yes, that sock, the one that Curt Schilling wore in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS when, on a surgically-repaired ankle, he willed his team to an emotional victory over the hated Stankees. It currently resided in the Baseball hall of Fame and is rumored to be worth a cool million.

For some reason Thorne decided to let everyone listening to the game in on a little secret that he claims Doug Mirabelli told him about the holy piece of hoisery: it's a fake.

That's right, Thorne said that 'Belli confessed to him that the sock was a, well, a shill, a prop to elicit sympathy for Schilling's plight and to make his pitching seem that much more heroic.

The blood, according to Thorne through Mirabelli, is actually paint.

Needless to say this little tidbit Mr. Thorne just decided to throw out there during a meaningless early season game that no one outside of Maryland and RSN was watching caused quite a stir as everyone got word of it this morning. Mike & Mike were all over it first thing this morning, and the story just mushroomed from there.

Next came the flat-out denials from 'Belli and everyone associated with the Sox, and a bewildered Thorne sticking to his claim that the sock is a sham. Everyone involved, from team president Larry Luccino, who "would not dignify [Thorne's] insinuations with extensive comment", to team doctor Bill Morgan ( "sutures will pull with movement, and we completely expected a certain amount of blood to ooze from the wound.") to the man himself, who wrote on his blog last month "needless to say it was blood, my blood, and it was coming from the sutures in my ankle" vehemently claims that the blood is real.

So either Gary Thorne is a lying weasel, a simple idiot for misinterpreting Mirabelli's locker room comments, or let the cat out of the bag on one of the biggest World Series stories in recent history.

Way to go, Gary.

Why don't you stick to hockey.

**UPDATE: This story has been taking over the airwaves since the talking heads hour began at 5:00 on ESPN. On Around the Horn boozin' Bob Ryan claimed that while "I'm not a Red Sox fan, the sock is indeed authentic because when he saw it at the HOF, the red of the blood had begun to decompose and is now turning brown. Thanks Bob.

On SportsCenter Thorne began backpedaling quicker than Lance Armstrong on the Champs-Elysees, explaining that he must have misunderstood 'Belli when, months after the World Series, he responded to a Thorne question about the sock by saying "we got a lot of publicity out of that." Thorne interpreted that to mean that the blood was fake, but where did the part about 'Belli saying it was paint come from?

I got some advice for Mr. Thorne. Check out the photo of Curt's ankle, post-surgery, on the Boston Dirt Dogs site via Deadspin, and tell me if you think the blood was fake. As Bill Morgan said so elegantly, "socks are like sponges, and even a small amount of blood can soak a sock."

Anyway, this looks like a dead issue now. Sanity has prevailed, and Thorne can go back to being an obscure, underwhelming sports announcer.

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Don't let the score fool ya- this one was close

Sox 6, Baltimore 1

WP: Schilling (3-1)
LP: Cabrera (1-2)
HRs: BOS- Cora (1); BAL-Tejada (2)

Alex Cora's 3rd inning blast put him just 723 homers away from Hank Aaron; watch out Barry!

SUMMARY:
After all the offensive fireworks of the past week this one was a good old fashioned 1-1 pitcher's duel through 6 innings.

But when the Sox chased Oriole starter Daniel Cabrera from the game in the 7th, Boston broke the game open with 5 runs in the final 3 innings to turn a nail biter into a rout.

HERO: Schilling 7IP, 5H, 1R, 2BB, 3K, HR
On a night the Sox needed a dominant performance from its starter to stem a 2-game losing streak, it got one from the ace of the staff.

Schill rebounded from a shaky start against New York to shut down the explosive Orioles lineup, allowing just the 1 run while throwing only 90 pitches in seven strong innings of work.

GOAT(s): Oriole's 1st 2 batters
Leadoff man Brian Roberts and super soph Nick Markakis combined to go 0-8 with 2 Ks and 4 LOB; not exactly the way to set the table for the heart of the order.

RECAP:
This game was just what the doctor ordered after that depressing 2-game against the Jays. Boston got a quality start and then some from Curt Schilling, offense from sources both likely (Papi & Manny went 3-7 with 2 runs and 3 RBI) and not (Cora's homer and 3 hits from a slumping Youk) and blew open a close game late to register a much-needed victory.

Don't be fooled by the 5-run win, though- as the old saying goes, the game was much closer than the score indicated. Schill and the electric-but-erratic Daniel Cabrera (6.2IP, 5H, 3ER, 5BB, 5K, WP, HR) were locked in a classic pitcher's duel, both of them allowing just a solo shot-Cora's in the 3rd and Miguel Tejada's in the 6th- for the only scoring in the game thru six innings.

As has been their pattern of late, Boston got men on base early on yet could not drive them home; the Sox left 6 men on in the first six innings, including 2 in the 3rd & 6th, and stranded an exasperating 21 men in the game.

Luckily those missed opportunities didn't come back to haunt them as Boston finally got to Cabrera in the 7th and then feasted on the Baltimore bully, another of the team's fortes of late. Ironically it was Willy Mo Pena, subbing for the still-injured Coco, who got the winning rally started. I say ironically because WMP had been striking out more lately than Anthony Micheal Hall in 16 Candles. But this time he patiently drew a walk, and after Cora sacrificed him over to second, Youk worked an 0-2 count into a walk and Cabrera's night was over.

Jamie Walker came on to face Big Papi, and Ortiz calmly went the opposite way and blooped a double into leftfield, scoring Pena and giving Boston the lead for good, 2-1. Just for shits and giggles Manny added and RBI single off Chad Bradford and after J.D. Drew walked (0-2, 3BBs), Bradford walked Lowell to force in Papi and push the score to 4-1.

The way Schill was pitching you knew that would be enough and it was. The veteran had complete command of all his pitches tonight and was extremely efficient in dispersing them; after averaging 103 pitches in his last three starts he needed just 90 to complete his 8 innings of work.

Emerging cult hero Hideki Okijima came on in the 8th and struck out two of the three batters he faced, including Aubrey Huff looking at a nasty yakker to end the inning. Huff complained to home plate umpire Angel Hernandez, to no avail, and Okijima's breaker is so nasty I've decided to give it a name: I thought The Oki-Doke would be an appropriate moniker.

Boston piled two more runs onto the lead in the 9th when Youk and Ortiz singled and Manny hit a deep blast to left center that centerfielder Corey Patterson tracked down and made a spectacular leaping catch at the wall to rob Manny of extra bases, then Black Donnelly got a 1-2-3 9th to finish it off.

All in all it was a great way to get back on the winning track, and with Josh Beckett going tomorrow night the chances are good that Boston could have a modest 20game winning streak heading into the Bronx.

NOTES:

-After slamming New York pitching for three games, some of the Boston hitters are re-entering the freeze zone:

• Cap'n Tek is in the midst of a horrid 1-7 stretch with 6 Ks, and although he singled and walked tonight, he left 5 men on base and made an error for the 2nd game in a row (catcher's int.)


• Julio Lugo may have had 2 hits last night to halt a 2-23 skid, but with his 0-5 tonight he is now mired in a deep 4-31 slump which has dropped his average from .304 to .247. Ouch.


• Willy Mo did draw a walk and scored the go-ahead run tonight, but he also struck out three more times; the beefy centerfielder is now in a 1-15 skid in the last five games with an astounding 10 of the outs coming on strikeouts

-On the other end of the spectrum, Cora continues to hit the cover off the ball: in the last six games he's played in, he is 7-15 with a 2B, 3B, HR, 3 runs scored and 4 RBI. I smell the beginning of the end of the Pedroia Era, although Dusty has been coming alive of late.

-Coco is still suffering from that oblique strain but is expected to be back in the lineup in the next day or 2

-Cabrera fell to 1-7 vs. the Sox in his young career

-Manny, WMP & Tek combined to leave 13 men on base

-Okijima recorded his 3rd "HOLD" and saw his ERA drop to a minuscule 0.93; he has struck out 12 batters in 9.2 inn ings of work and he hasn't allowed a run since serving up a homerun to Kansas City's John Buck on his first pitch in the major leagues

QUOTES:

-"This was a good win. We lost two in a row, and when you are in a rotation like this something you do not expect to see are losing streaks." - Schill on the recent stretch of poor starts

RECORD: 13-7

AL EAST: UP 2 1/2 on BAL

UP NEXT: Thu @ BAL 7P

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Series Preview

Boston (15-7) at Baltimore (11-9)
GM 1 WED: Schilling (2-1, 3.81) vs. Cabrera (1-1, 4.10)
GM 2 THU: Beckett (4-0, 2.55) vs. Loewen (2-0, 3.72)

Another brief 2-game series before the Sox head to the Bronx; nothing like playing your division rivals 4 series in a row in the span of 10 days. Thanks, schedule makers.

After dropping a pair to the Blue Jays the Sox head to B'more to take on its current competition in the AL East, the red-hot Birds. The Orioles have been one of the biggest surprises of the season so far, climbing to an 11-7 record after sweeping those Jays over the weekend before dropping 2 straight to Oakland.

The Birds have been flying on the strength of contributions from veterans (Miguel Tejada, old friend Kevin Millar) and young hotshots (Nick Markakis, pitchers Loewen, Cabrera and closer Chris Ray.)

Cabrera will oppose Schilling tonight, who is trying to overcome a bad start for the second time on this young season. Last weekend against the Stanks, Schill coughed up 2 leads and allowed 5 runs on 8 hits in 7 innings while his ERA rose nearly a full run.

Cabrera is still only 25 and in his 3rd season, and although he has a lot to learn he can still be a dynamic, overpowering pitcher. However, confidence could be a problem as the young righty brings a 1-6 record with a 9,27 ERA against the Sox in eight career starts into this matchup.

That would bode well for the struggling, erratic Sox offense, but the Sox had a great track record against Roy Halladay, too, and look what he did to them last night.

This quick series is a good chance for Boston to get back on the winning track, put some distance between themselves and the Orioles, and gain some momentum before the grudge match rematch in the Bronx begins on Friday.

But why do I have the feeling that Millah will factor in to the Sox having a tough time in these two games?

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A litany of errors leads to 2nd straight loss to Jays

Toronto 10, Sox 3

WP: Halladay (3-0)
LP: Tavarez (0-2)
HRs: BOS- Lowell (4); TOR- Wells (4)


SUMMARY:
It was a bad night all around for Boston as the suddenly slumping Sox were out-hit (15-5) out-played (Boston made 4 errors & numerous miscues) and apparently out-to-lunch in a lackluster loss to Roy Halladay and the Jays.

It's starting to look like the hangover from the Stankee series is lingering a little longer than we'd thought.

HERO: Vernon Wells 4-5, 4R, 3RBI, HR, SB
The multi-talented centerfielder got the party started with a solo shot in the first, then iced the game with a 2-run single in the 6th that pushed the lead to 9-3. In between he added two more hits, stole a base, swept the locker room and turned out the lights after everyone left.

In other words he did it all.

GOAT: Tavarez 4.2IP, 7H, 6ER, 1BB, 2K, HR, HBP
Julie, Julie, Julie. Perhaps you should stop giving bad pitching tips to Dice-K and start concentrating on trying to make some good pitches yourself.

Thankfully, Jon Lester should be back from rehab in about a week.

RECAP:
What do you get when you mix a Cy Young winner, a hulking professional hitting machine, a 5-tool All Star and a bleary & beleaguered Boston team?

The answer, as anyone who watched that travesty on turf tonight can attest to, is a horrid loss to your AL East rival that was even uglier than the blowout score indicated.

'How ugly was it?' you ask.

How about four Boston errors that could have easily been 6 or more but for some fortuitous home field scoring ugly? How about starter Julian Tavarez not making it out of the 5th inning and seeing his ERA climb to nearly 8 1/2 (8.36), then three relievers allow 4 runs and 8 hits in 4 1/3 ugly? How about three Jays notching 3 RBIs each and the team smashing 15 base hits while the Sox settled for a measly 5 hits, 4 of them singles ugly?

It was that kind of night at the ballyard, and the memories of Boston's sweep of the Stankees become more and more distant as the Sox head to Baltimore for a quick 2-gamer with their nearest competitor. Luckily Baltimore lost tonight too, so Boston will maintain its 1/ 1/2 game lead in the East.

(BTW, Stanks lost to Tampa Bay again! So we got that going for us)

Things started out badly for Beantown and only got worse. Tavarez registered two quick outs in the first only to allow a solo shot to Wells (he's the 5-tool All Star) to get Toronto on the board. But, as they have done so often this season, the Boston batters got the run right back when Big Papi knocked in Julio Lugo, who had singled and stole second, tying the game at 1 in the bottom half.

Unfortunately that would be the closest Boston would get to the lead for the rest of the night.

In the third inning the shoddy play and pitching caught up with them. With one out Alex Rios singled to center in front of Willy Mo, who continues to fill in for an ailing Coco Crisp (oblique muscle) and Adam Lind followed with a walk. Wells then lined a shot to third that ate Lowell up, and everyone was safe.

(side note: the ruling was a hit, and it was a hard hit ball, but it was a play that in the past Lowell would have made 9 times out of 10; he had the same thing happen to him a few innings later.)

Big Frank Thomas (he's the hulking hitting machine) came up and laced a double off the Wall to score Rios and Lind and bump the score to 3-1, and an error by Eric Hinske allowed Lyle Overbay to reach base and Wells to score Toronto's 4th run of the evening.

Boston would get a run back in the bottom of the inning when Lugo once again singled, stole second and was driven home by Hinske on a single to right, and it would pull to within 1 run in the 4th on Lowell's fourth homer of the year, his third in the last three games.

Any thoughts of another come-from-behind win were quickly dashed in the 5th & 6th innings, though, as Toronto scored 6 runs in the two frames, lowlighted by a 2-run double by Overbay, errors by Manny & Willy Mo, and run-scoring singles by Wells and Thomas (them again.)

Oh, and did I forget to mention the pitching of Mr. Roy Halladay? He's the Cy Young winner, and he pitched like one tonight against the Sox. Although the Toronto ace has had his share of problems with Boston in the past (8-7, 4.51 ERA), he dominated them tonight, allowing just the three runs on five hits in 8 innings of work, walking no one while striking out 10.

Yeah, you could say the Boston hitters were a bit overanxious to beat the 2003 Cy winner again, but it wasn't meant to be on this night.

It remains to be seen how anxious- and tired- they'll be when they take on Baltimore tomorrow night, but they'd better right the ship soon or that AL East lead could disappear rapidly.

NOTES:

-Coco got the night off again as he recovers from the oblique strain he suffered in the New York series; Youk also got the night off in favor of Hinske

-Lugo had 2 hits, 2 runs and 2 stolen bases, helping him ease out of what was a 2-22 slump.

-Kyle Snyder relieved Tavarez in the 5th and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits in an inning and 1/3, yet due to all the miscues none of the runs were earned

-Coming into the game Boston had made only 10 errors in 18 games, and six of them were by Lowell; Tek also got in on the "E" parade tonight

-J.D. Drew went hitless and did not reach base, ending his streak at 18 games

-Toronto's 2-3-4-5 hitters were an incredible 9-18 with 7 runs scored and 9 ribbies

-Jays catcher Greg Zaun had to leave the game in the 2nd inning after being struck on the thumb by a foul tip; his replacement, Jason Phillips, contributed two singles

-Other than Lugo, only Papi, Hinske and Lowell recorded hits. Tek went 0-3 with 3 Ks and Pena went 0-2 with 2 Ks; he is in a 3-14 skid with 7 strikeouts in his last five games

QUOTES:

-"We are scuffling." -Tito Francona, master of the obvious everyone

RECORD: 12-7

AL EAST: Up 1.5 gms

UP NEXT: WED @ BAL 7P

Schill (2-1, 3.81) vs. Cabrera (1-1, 4.10)

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Game Preview: Toronto @ Sox

Halladay (2-0, 2.37) vs. Tavarez (0-1, 6.75)

First of all let me get this out of the way: The Stankees lost to the Devil Rays last night, 10-8, despite A-Rod hitting 2 more home runs, bringing his April tally to 14.

Can I get a "Hah-hah"?

The second-place Orioles also lost, so Boton's dispirited 7-3 defeat at the hands of the Blue Jays yesterday was not as costly as we might have thought.

But the chances of a second straight loss to their neighbors to the north is a distinct possibility considering the pitching matchup waiting for Boston: Halladay v. Tavarez, aka Cy Young vs. the Gascan.

This is a rematch of last Thursday's meeting between the two, when neither had a decision and both pitched pretty well in a 5-3 Boston victory. Tavarez only allowed 3 runs in 5 1/3, while Halladay only let up 1 run in 7 1/3, yet the Jays lost when reliever Shaun Marcum gave up Manny's first homer of the season to tie the game at 3 and Alex Cora knocked in the winning run with a clutch triple in the 9th off closer Jason Frasor.

Something tells me the friendly confines of Fenway might not be so welcoming tonight, though. The small park does not play to Julie's strengths, namely let 'em hit it hard and hope someone catches it, and Halladay hasn't won in nearly 2 weeks, a potentially fatal combination for Boston's chances to salvage 1 game of this brief 2-game set.

Hopefully the Boston batteries will be recharged following the exhausting weekend and brutal schedule. The guys haven't had a day off since a rainout on Sunday the 15th, and won't get a break until Monday, after a 3-game series in Baltimore and the weekend rematch with the Stanks in the Bronx.

They'll have to be on their game tonight, because going up against Doc for the second time in a week is a daunting task for any team, let alone one as drained as the Sox have to be.

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Bleary Sox fall to Jays

Toronto 7, Sox 3

WP: Ohka (1-2)

LP: Wakefield (2-2)
SV: Frasor (2)
HRs: Thomas (3), Hill (4)

Sox box

SUMMARY:

The Sox attempted to give the Jays a fight tonight and even held a brief lead at one point. But after the tiring weekend series with New York the results just weren't there as Boston dropped its first game in nearly a week. Frank Thomas and Aaron Hill homered and Tim Wakefield had an off night as the Sox fell to 12-6 on the year.

HERO: Aaron Hill 4-5, 3R, 2RBI, 2-2Bs, HR

The Jays second baseman had a monster game with 4 hits, including 2 doubles and a 2-run, 2-out homer in the 9th off Mike Timlin that put a close game (5-3) out of reach.

GOAT: Tim Wakefield 6IP, 8H, 3ER, 2BB, 5K

Wake wasn't terrible, but the knuckler just wasn't dancing his way tonight. The veteran hurler saw his league-leading ERA rise from 1.35 to 2.08, and the 3 earned runs he allowed were more than he had let in all year.

Still, if Boston's batters weren't so tired they might have been able to overcome the deficit.

KEY MOMENT: Top 6, 0 out, 1 on

The Sox had just taken the lead in the 4th and were feeling good about their chances with the ERA leader on the mound. But Wake fell victim to the Big Hurt, as Frank Thomas rocketed one off the Volvo sign atop the Monster to give Toronto a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

RECAP:

The Sox gave all it could tonight, but playing a game less than 20 hours after that Stankee series concluded was akin to baseball torture.

No matter that the players got to sleep at home and didn't have to be at the park till 3:00 or so. The draining effect of three straight come-from-behind wins against their arch rivals could take days to dissipate, yet the Sox have no off days for another week.

So they played the game tonight at Fenway against those pesky Jays, and wouldn't you know just as I predicted the sleepy Sox fell to their division rivals again. Toronto had been riding a 5-game losing streak before hitting Fenway, but as soon as they saw the somnambulent Sox they started salivating at the prospect of grabbing their 14th victory over Boston over the last two seasons.

Toronto got to Wakefield early, striking for a run in the first. After Vernon Wells doubled with two outs, he stole third and then came home on catcher Doug Mirabelli's throwing error. It would remain 1-0 Jays until the bottom of the 4th, when the emerging Dustin Pedroia registered a wall-scraping double that scored J.D. Drew and Willy Mo and gave the Sox its first-and only- lead of the night, 2-1.

For all intents & purposes the game was over in the 6th. When Thomas stepped in and launched that ball up into Mannyland (had it been a foot higher it would have cleared Lansdowne easily), you could almost feel the air go out of the spent players and fans. When Toronto tacked on another run later in the inning, it was almost time to pull the curtain.

Could the Comeback Kings do it again?

Uh, no.

Boston clawed back to within a run at 4-3 when Lowell scored on a Royce Clayton throwing error in the bottom of the 6th, but the Jays kept pecking at the Sox pitchers, notching a run off of JC Romero in the 7th and then capping it off with Hill's blast in the 9th.

So the beleaguered Boston batters will try to comeback and get the Jays tomorrow night in the last game of this abbreviated series. After one more night's rest they should be recovered enough to do some more damage to American League pitching.

What's that you say, Halladay is throwing for the Jays tomorrow.

Oh.

Never mind.

NOTES:

-Thomas' bomb was the 490th of his career and his 37th against Boston, most among active players

-After averaging 7 runs and 12 hits against New York for three games, the immortal Tomo Ohka & Co. held Boston to 8 hits (7 singles) and 3 runs

-Coco got the night off again after aggravating an injury Saturady night; his replacement, Willy Mo Pena, had struck out in 5 straight at bats before lining into a forceout in the 4th. He added a single in the 6th

-Drew had another hit to extend his on-base streak to all 18 games. Funny how those nasty preseason boos have turned into loving early season "Drooooowwwws" now, isn't it?

-Pedroia continued to come out of his funk; he had the 2-RBI double and a walk

-Mirabelli continued his once-weekly hot hitting- he's had 2 hits in each of his last 3 games

-Lowell had 2 more hits but also made another error, his 6th of the season, already matching his total from last season

-Lugo went hitless for the 6th time in the last 7 games, left 6 men on base, and saw his average dip to .246

RECORD: 12-6

AL EAST: Up 1.5 on BAL

UP NEXT: TUE vs. TOR 7P

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Series Preview: Toronto @ Sox

Tonight, 7P Ohka vs. Wakefield
Tues, 7P Halladay vs. Tavarez

To be honest with you I don't have the strength nor the desire to preview this series today.

Why?

Because these two teams just played last week, it's one of those asinine 2-game sets, both pitching match ups are the same as they were last week in Toronto, and the Sox are coming off one of the most exciting, exhausting series in club history.

Frankly I would have liked to take the day off today, but then again I'm sure the Sox players would have liked that, too; our boys are in the midst of playing for 14 straight days. No rest for the weary, indeed.

Hey, it could be worse. The Stankees didn't arrive down here in Tampa until 5:00 in the morning, and they must take their battered & beaten pitching staff into the Trop to face the Rays tough, eager young hitters.

Boston players merely had to drive to their respective homes and sleep in their own beds, visions of baseballs flying out of Fenway and frowning Stankees dancing in their heads.

The Jays come in having lost 5 straight games and are feeling the effects of the losses of Troy Glaus, BJ Ryan and Reed Johnson. The Sox come in hot, having won 8 of the last 9, but will be physically & emotionally spent from that draining weekend series.

I would not be surprised if they lost tonight, despite facing Ohka, whom they roughed up for three homers in a 4-1 win at SkyDome last Wednesday.

We'll have to see if they can keep on rolling like this, or if the weight of sheer exhaustion and three straight come from behind victories drags them down a bit.

I know it's dragging me down!

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